2022 TBR Cleanup Challenge

[Mareike]

1. Book with nine lives - Annalee Newitz, The Future of Another Timeline
2. Don't be suspicious - Tamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth
3. Dressed to the nines - John Lewis, March: Book One
4. Head in the clouds - M. Darusha Whem, The Voyage of the White Cloud
5. One for the clubhouse - Kameron Hurley, The Stars Are Legion
6. Of its time - Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit" - Saeed Jones, How We Fight For Our Lives
8. Cover with distinct art style - Walter Moers, Der Bücherdrache
9. 9 or 22 * - Liv Strömquist, Im Spiegelsaal
10. Why not both? - Sangu Mandanna, A Spark of White Fire
11. Seasonal - Jo Walton, Lifelode
12. I need a nap! - Neil Gaiman, Preludes & Nocturnes
13. Thorns and roses - Juri Pavlovic, Die Rückkehr der Kriegerin
14. A little slice of heaven - Alana McFall, The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus
15. Fluffy! - Lauren Shippen, The Infinite Noise
16. "Humans are doing the best they can" - Becky Chambers, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" - Nghi Vo,When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
18. 240-270 pages - A.S. Byatt, The Biographer's Tale
19. Nein - Sabine Friedrich, Wer wir sind
20. ??? - Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume III

I have to say, I struggled with some of these prompts - partly because except for one of these, I limited myself to books I already own.

Edited to add explanations:

(view spoiler)[ 1. Book with nine lives - This was already on my 2021 TBR Challenge.
2. Don't be suspicious - I just want to finally read this one, okay?
3. Dressed to the nines - The marchers of the Civil Rights Movement used to dress sharply to make a political statement.
4. Head in the clouds - A generation ship called „White Cloud“? That fits.
5. One for the clubhouse - This is on the group‘s bookshelf. Also if someone is down for a BR (or for discussing this in the Discord), let me know!
6. Of its time - A classic that, afaik, is very rooted in its time.
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit" - I think this is obvious?
8. Cover with distinct art style - Moers has a pretty distinctive style.
9. 9 or 22 * - The ninth book on my physical tbr-shelf
10. Why not both? - The Mahabrahata and sci-fi? Please!
11. Seasonal - The synopsis mentions that the family has a farm, so….the passing of the seasons might come up??? (See what I mean when I said I was struggling with the prompts?)
12. I need a nap! - Self-explanatory.
13. Thorns and roses - This book has an older female protagonist who is also a warrior, who‘s a little thorny but manages to gather a party around her.
14. A little slice of heaven - Apparently the protagonist is undead and wants to go to a wedding? Really, the connection here is between „heaven“ and „undead“, so admittedly, it‘s a stretch.
15. Fluffy! - This sounds like it has a good amount of fluff.
16. "Humans are doing the best they can" - If this prompt doesn‘t scream Wayfarers, then I don‘t know what does.
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" - Based on the synopsis, it sounds like the protagonist has to act like a wise person…
18. 240-270 pages - Self-explanatory.
19. Nein - This book chronicles the German Resistance against the Nazis in the form of a novel.
20. ??? - Tbh, I used this as a wildcard and just slotted in another book I really want to read. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Sticking to owned books is good when you’re trying to climb Mount TBR!

[Raucous]

Mareike wrote: "... 12. I need a nap! - Neil Gaiman, Preludes & Nocturnes..."

Ooh! Great choice. I'm tempted to steal that one.

[Sarah]

I'm skipping PopSugar next year- it's fun to make the lists but too restrictive a lot of the time. And this year I can't seem to make books on my actual TBR fit, (Sarah does not need any more books on her TBR...)

So I'll see if I can join in here:

10/20

1. Book with nine lives - The Final Girl Support Group
2. Don't be suspicious - Disclosure
3. Dressed to the nines - The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress
4. Head in the clouds - Cloud Cuckoo Land
5. One for the clubhouse - Nettle & Bone
6. Of its time - Sea of Tranquility
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit" - A Gentleman in Moscow
8. Cover with distinct art style - Commonwealth
9. 9 or 22 * - The Song of Achilles
10. Why not both? - Micro
11. Seasonal - American Psycho
12. I need a nap! - The City in the Middle of the Night
13. Thorns and roses - The Wife Between Us
14. A little slice of heaven - War Lord
15. Fluffy! - Sharpe's Tiger
16. "Humans are doing the best they can" - We Were the Mulvaneys
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" - Seveneves
18. 240-270 pages - Our Wives Under the Sea
19. Nein - The Liar's Dictionary
20. ??? - Crossroads

(view spoiler)[
1. Book with nine lives - The Final Girl Support Group - Final girls have nine lives right?
2. Don't be suspicious - Disclosure - Or maybe, do be suspicious.
3. Dressed to the nines - The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress - Book is set in the 1930s Jazz Age- someone there is bound to be dressed to the nines.
4. Head in the clouds - Cloud Cuckoo Land - because CLOUD cuckoo land? Clouds on the cover.
5. One for the clubhouse - Nettle & Bone - On the bookshelf!
6. Of its time - Sea of Tranquility - written during the pandemic, about a pandemic, blurb says "precisely captures the reality of our time"
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit" - A Gentleman in Moscow - set during the Russian Revolution
8. Cover with distinct art style - - I'd call it minimalist?
9. 9 or 22 * - The Song of Achilles - published in the ninth month
10. Why not both? - Micro Conflict is nature vs. technology, but why not both?
11. Seasonal - Feed - Zombies are basically synonymous with Halloween. I cheated and swapped for American Psycho since that was what I ended up picking as my October/Halloween read.
12. I need a nap! - The City in the Middle of the Night Because if you're in the city in the middle of the night you'll likely need a nap the next day.
13. Thorns and roses - The Wife Between Us - Describes an "enviable" marriage with lots of issues.
14. A little slice of heaven - War Lord - Because Uhtred is heaven. Also I'm afraid in this book he might finally go to Valhalla and I kinda can't take it.
15. Fluffy! - Sharpe's Tiger - Tiger's count as fluffy right?
16. "Humans are doing the best they can" - We Were the Mulvaneys - A man trying to put back the pieces of a once great family.
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" - Seveneves - the nations of earth coming together to avoid doomsday
18. 240-270 pages - Our Wives Under the Sea - 240 pages!
19. Nein - The Liar's Dictionary - I say NEIN to made up words in the dictionary, unless they were made up by Shakespeare. Those totally count.
20. ??? - Crossroads - ??? I'm going to read it and it didn't fit anywhere else so here is good.
(hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

Raucous wrote: "Mareike wrote: "... 12. I need a nap! - Neil Gaiman, Preludes & Nocturnes..."

Ooh! Great choice. I'm tempted to steal that one."

Go ahead! I‘d also be down for a BR!

[DivaDiane]

Me too! I’d be up for a BR.

[Raucous]

I'd be interested as well.

[Michelle]

I can reread Sharpe’s Tiger with you- I just started Sharpe’s Assassin tonight!

[Sarah]

@Michelle- that would be great! I actually haven’t read any of the Sharpe books.

[Jamie]

Some of these will require browsing the library for more ideas.
1. Book with nine lives The Elric Saga trilogy (my favorite characters from other Elric books have been the panthers, and I'm guessing they appear in this trilogy too, and Elric himself cheats death or is reborn a lot.)
2. Don't be suspicious Gnomon
3. Dressed to the nines Peacemaker (The main character always seems vain and fond of his wardrobe in this series.)
4. Head in the clouds Century Rain
5. One for the clubhouse The Magicians
6. Of its time War with the Newts
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit"
8. Cover with distinct art style Twilight
9. 9 or 22 * Jupiter (book #9 of Bova's Grand Tour series)
10. Why not both? To Do or Die
11. Seasonal Doctor Who: Snowglobe 7
12. I need a nap! Dreamcatcher
13. Thorns and roses Uprooted
14. A little slice of heaven Heaven's Reach
15. Fluffy! Borne
16. "Humans are doing the best they can" Seeing
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" The Crystal Cave (I thought I recognized the quote! I haven't read The Once and Future King in years, but apparently I still recognize bits of it subconsciously. :) I swapped in an Arthurian fantasy for this one, now that I remember the source of the phrase.)
18. 240-270 pagesDoctor Who: The Dalek Generation
19. Nein No Blade Of Grass (Christopher's Tripod trilogy was one of my absolute favorite series as a kid, so when I found this one on a free shelf I adopted it. I have been meaning to read it ever since.)
20. ??? How Much for Just the Planet?

[Mareike]

@Diane and @Raucous: Cool! I‘ll make a post in the appropriate channel!

[Brandi]

Placeholder

1. Book with nine lives
2. Don't be suspicious
3. Dressed to the nines
4. Head in the clouds
5. One for the clubhouse
6. Of its time
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit"
8. Cover with distinct art style
9. 9 or 22 *
10. Why not both?
11. Seasonal
12. I need a nap!
13. Thorns and roses
14. A little slice of heaven
15. Fluffy!
16. "Humans are doing the best they can"
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise"
18. 240-270 pages
19. Nein
20. ???

[Nicol]

Here is my proposed list, hopefully I'll stick to it, last year I only ended up changing one!


1. Book with nine lives
The Last Wish
2. Don't be suspicious
Altered Carbon
3. Dressed to the nines
The Windup Girl
4. Head in the clouds
In the Dream House
5. One for the clubhouse
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles
6. Of its time
The Changeling
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit"
She Who Became the Sun
8. Cover with distinct art style
Sorrowland
9. 9 or 22 *
9: Bloody Jack
10. Why not both?
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings
11. Seasonal
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
12. I need a nap!
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
13. Thorns and roses
The Witch King
14. A little slice of heaven
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
15. Fluffy!
Fuzzy Nation
16. “Humans are doing the best they can"
1Q84
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise"
The Dispossessed
18. 240-270 pages
Wyrd Sisters
19. Nein
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
20. ???
The Marrow Thieves

[Anna]

Nicol wrote: "5. One for the clubhouse
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles"

This is the definition of taking one for the team! :D

[Nicol]

Anna wrote: "Nicol wrote: "5. One for the clubhouse
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles"

This is the definition of taking one for the team! :D"

I love Doctor Who so I figure it can't be that bad?? 😬😬😬

[Anna]

Let us know how it went! XD

[DivaDiane]

Meredith wrote: "19. Nein - Never Let Me Go "

I'm totally stealing this. Can you believe I have no other books with any of the words No, Not, Don't, Won't, Can't or anything like that?

[DivaDiane]

Here's my list:

1. Book with nine lives - Catfishing on CatNet
2. Don't be suspicious - The Magicians
✅3. Dressed to the nines - Supervillainous!: Confessions of a Costumed Evil-doer
✅4. Head in the clouds - Cloud Cuckoo Land
✅5. One for the clubhouse - Sea of Rust or other Club group read
✅6. Of its time - More Than Human
✅7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit" - A Song for a New Day
8. Cover with distinct art style - The Dark Forest or Swordspoint
✅9. 9 or 22 * - A Stitch in Time (Star Trek DS9) or Ninefox Gambit
✅10. Why not both? Tea and Murder
11. Seasonal - Letters from Father Christmas
✅12. I need a nap! - Preludes & Nocturnes in progress!
13. Thorns and roses - The Dragonbone Chair Or The Quantum Rose
✅14. A little slice of heaven - Angel Catbird, Vol. 1
✅15. Fluffy! - Watership Down (!)
✅16. "Humans are doing the best they can" - METAtropolis
✅ (Sort of?) 17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" - The Once and Future King
18. 240-270 pages - Bellwether
19. Nein - Never Let Me Go (Paper)
✅20. ??? - Can You Sign My Tentacle? poetry.

I "borrowed" a few selection ideas from Meredith and Mareike! Otherwise, I tried something different; Most of the books I selected are audiobooks. I've been reading so much more in audio the past 6 months.

[Anna]

DivaDiane wrote: "Can you believe I have no other books with any of the words No, Not, Don't, Won't, Can't or anything like that?"

No, I do not believe it! I simply can't and won't! :P

(Shan't.)

[DivaDiane]

Allison wrote: "it didn't occur to me that quoting oafk for the tbr challenge would encourage people to read it but I'm quite pleased!"

Totally worked!

[Mareike]

DivaDiane wrote: "Here's my list:

1. Book with nine lives - Catfishing on CatNet

I could have used this for the first slot, too! I might join you in reading this if I have the time.

[DivaDiane]

Awesome!

[Petar]

This is always my favourite challenge. It's usually the only one I enter. And I really enjoy seeing everyone else's selections and reasons.

Here we go.

1. Book with nine lives - Life - Keith Richards. Keef’s got a face that’s lived nine lives.

2. Don't be suspicious - The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War - Ben Macintyre. Seems pretty self-explanatory.

3. Dressed to the nines - Me - Elton John. Elton is always dressed to the nines.

4. Head in the clouds - Battle Angel Alita Vol. 3 - Yukito Kishiro - Gaining entry to the floating city of Zalem is a big part of this series.

5. One for the clubhouse - Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk. First rule of Fight Club.

6. Of its time - The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead. Set in antebellum America.

7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit” - Rocannon's World - Ursula K. Le Guin. A quote from Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle, so I’ll start with book 1 of the series.

8. Cover with distinct art style - Sin City, Vol. 4: That Yellow Bastard - Frank Miller. Miller’s artwork is certainly distinctive.

9. 9 or 22 - Leviathan Falls - James S.A. Corey. Ninth and final book of the Expanse series.

10. Why not both? - The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer - Neal Stephenson. Can’t decide on a title? Why not both?

11. Seasonal - The Obelisk Gate - N.K. Jemisin. Book two of the Broken Earth series which depicts a near-extinction event known as a ‘Fifth Season’ (hence the title of book one).

12. I need a nap! - Preludes & Nocturnes - Neil Gaiman. Sandman = nap.

13. Thorns and roses - Stormbird - Conn Iggulden. First book of the Wars of the Roses. But if The Thorn of Emberlain does come out in 2022, then it will occupy this space.

14. A little slice of heaven - Kill City Blues - Richard Kadrey. Angels, demons, heaven, hell and Los Angeles.

15. Fluffy! - Bear Head - Adrian Tchaikovsky. Bears are fluffy.

16. "Humans are doing the best they can” - Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures - Stephen Fry. Talk about doing the best you can!?!

17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise” - The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell. I’ve read the Once and Future King, so rather than a story about a mythical King of England, I went with a story about a real King of England.

18. 240-270 pages - Dark Tyrants - Robert Hatch (Ed). A collection of short stories about vampires. 254 pages.

19. Nein - SS-GB - Len Deighton. Germany won World War II!!!

20. ??? - Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones. I’ve interpreted this as a free hit, so I’ve gone with Dan Jones’ new history of the Middle Ages.

[Michelle]

Petar, wouldn't it be nice to see The Thorn of Emberlain?!

[Petar]

Michelle wrote: "Petar, wouldn't it be nice to see The Thorn of Emberlain?!"

Oh, wouldn't it just Michelle. Hope springs eternal, eh?

[Michelle]

Glass half full!

[Dj]

Michelle wrote: "Glass half full!"

I just saw a comic that goes with this line. I think it was from some kind of engineer. It showed the glass and it had lines drawn on it saying half full of water, half full of air. The glass is always full. I was thinking that would make a great tee shirt.

[Anna]

Where can I buy/learn the glass is always full attitude?!

[Michelle]

LOL!

[Dj]

Anna wrote: "Where can I buy/learn the glass is always full attitude?!"

uhm...MIT maybe?

[Anna]

Haha, very logical indeed!

[Anna]

"The glass is always full" was a big hit at my family xmas :) (My brother is a physicist.)

[Dj]

Anna wrote: ""The glass is always full" was a big hit at my family xmas :) (My brother is a physicist.)"

I have a shirt just for him. Schrodinger's Cat: Wanted Dead or Alive.

[Petar]

Haha. That’s gold DJ.

[Anna]

I think he might have that shirt 🤔

[Brandi]

1. Book with nine lives
2. Don't be suspicious
3. Dressed to the nines
4. Head in the clouds
5. One for the clubhouse
6. Of its time
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit"
8. Cover with distinct art style
9. 9 or 22 *
10. Why not both?
11. Seasonal
12. I need a nap!
13. Thorns and roses
14. A little slice of heaven
15. Fluffy!
16. "Humans are doing the best they can"
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise"
18. 240-270 pages
19. Nein
20. ???

[Anna]

It's 2022, the year this thing happens! (This thing being both this challenge and the thing I'm about to talk about :D ) The inspiration for prompt #2 hasn't been mentioned by anyone as far as I can tell, so for those of you who aren't familiar with Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa, here's a 1 minute video clip :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrs4C...

[Martin]

Excited for this challenge! I already looked thru my shelf with rubbish-books (not their value, the place where i found them) to finally get thru them. Here's my plan so far:

1. Book with nine lives - Die drei ??? und die schwarze Katze
2. Don't be suspicious - Mnch, Mörder und Mysterien
3. Dressed to the nines
4. Head in the clouds - Abenteuer eines Ballonfahrers
5. One for the clubhouse - Die Drei ???. Toteninsel or maybe The Holver Alley Crew
6. Of its time - Andreas
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit"
8. Cover with distinct art style - The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force technically it's the art in the book that is impressive and the general annotated in character style
9. 9 or 22 *
10. Why not both?
11. Seasonal
12. I need a nap! - Attila the Hun
13. Thorns and roses - The Gospel of Loki
14. A little slice of heaven
15. Fluffy! - Wolfsblut or maybe Dragon Teeth
16. "Humans are doing the best they can"
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" - the old sci-fi book with the destroyed cover
18. 240-270 pages
19. Nein - Der Wahnsinn und die Bombe: Wie Nordkorea und die Großmächte unsere Sicherheit verspielen (I am german, so "Nein" is just a normal word for me, but in this list on an english website i just got political associations and therefore I chose a journalistic politic book)
20. ???

[A.R.]

Yeah, I'm just grabbing a lot of these from your TBR piles and adding them to my own!

Hey, Bombadillo!

[Petar]

A.R. wrote: "Yeah, I'm just grabbing a lot of these from your TBR piles and adding them to my own!

Hey, Bombadillo!"

That's the irony of this challenge for me AR. My TBR list doesn't actually get shorter.

[John Drawdy]

Hi. I’m a Noob and am confused. What is TBR? What is the purpose of the riddle list? Do I guess what you’re referring to or do I pick a book that matches the riddle to add to my personal reading challenge?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Hi John! TBR is To Be Read. This is a fun game/challenge for folks to try to pare down their TBR list. The prompts are to encourage you to have fun reviewing your list and finding things that you think fit the prompt, thereby reducing your TBR, letting us all have fun seeing how everyone interprets things, and giving that extra pat on the back for working on another goal all at the same time!

[Manda]

Edited to make this a placeholder and add in the links. May be changing the unlinked books to get rid of rereads.

1. Book with nine lives And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- love this book, have read it so many times, even if I do know the ending :)
2. Don't be suspicious Lock In
- cyber murder mystery
3. Dressed to the nines Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
- Gotta be dressed for the end days…
4. Head in the clouds Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
- Mt. Everest expedition during a bad year.
5. One for the clubhouse
-
6. Of its time The Poisoned Glass
- true crime story from turn of 20th-century NJ
7. "Revolution is in the individual spirit" Alexander Hamilton
- purchase inspired by musical but finally getting around to reading it
8. Cover with distinct art style The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
- old time mystery with Victoria-sequel cover art tempted me
9. 9 or 22 * Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- rereading an old favorite
10. Why not both? The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
- Cold War era spy true story
11. Seasonal

12. I need a nap! Game of Thrones series
- I will get beyond book 1 dang it. Maybe.
13. Thorns and roses Sad Cypress
- a murder mystery w/ roses on the cover
14. A little slice of heaven The Lovely Bones
- murder mystery from the perspective of the victim after her death
15. Fluffy! Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
- This or Fuzzy Nation. Either one works for fluffy I suppose.
16. "Humans are doing the best they can" Robopocalypse
- it’s either this or World War Z (Brooks) again…
17. "Such conduct is the prerogative of the truly wise" The Perfect Theory: A Century of Geniuses and the Battle over General Relativity
- only theoretical scientists argue about this stuff. others set out to try and experimentally prove it.
18. 240-270 pages The Sky Below
- autobiography of astronaut Scott Parazynski, scientist, climber, spacewalker
19. Nein Cemetery Dance
- ninth book in Agent Pendergast series (running out of nines in my collection haha)
20. ??? A Promised Land
- Barack Obama’s autobiography narrated by him. Not saying no to that.

[Raucous]

Manda wrote: "... 4. Head in the clouds Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer...

That's an inspired choice! I may have to reconsider mine.

[John Drawdy]

Thank you Allison!

[CBRetriever]

finished:

4. Head in the clouds
Promises to Keep by Charles de Lint
the outlined figure's head is above the flying birds and is thus = in the clouds

this book was quite good (I've always liked de Lint's books) and is about the early years of Jilly's life. It can be read as a stand alone book

and working on

15. Fluffy!
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
has to have some sort of fluffy beast in it - it does

and

1. Book with nine lives
The Gate of the Cat by Andre NortonAndre Norton
has a cat and kittens

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "finished:

4. Head in the clouds
Promises to Keep by Charles de Lint
the outlined figure's head is above the flying birds and is thus = in the clouds

this book was q..."

Nice Start

[Petar]

First one down.

20. ??? - Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones. I’ve interpreted this as a free hit, so I’ve gone with Dan Jones’ new history of the Middle Ages.

Not SF but if anyone does have an interest in the Middle Ages this is highly recommended. A great overview of the period including some aspects that are often overlooked (eg, the Islamic conquests in Spain, the Mongol Empire). Jones also draws some contemporary comparisons and displays a pretty wry sense of humour.

[Dj]

Petar wrote: "First one down.

20. ??? - Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones. I’ve interpreted this as a free hit, so I’ve gone with Dan Jones’ new history of the Mid..."

Sounds like a pretty good read

[Petar]

Dj wrote: "Petar wrote: "First one down.

20. ??? - Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones. I’ve interpreted this as a free hit, so I’ve gone with Dan Jones’ new hist..."

It is. I've not read a lot about the Middle Ages so I found this to be a really good introduction to the subject.